The other day in the gym, a Kendrick Lamar tune blasted through the speakers. It was the radio version, much to the chagrin of the guy closest to me. “Doesn’t even sound right,” he said. “It’s bitch, don’t kill my vibe!’” The “trick” that took its place didn’t meet his satisfaction. I found myself nodding,…
In the latest issue of “my blues ain’t like yours,” a recent article on Vice magazine’s Noisy site, entitled “Why Are You So Intimidated By Girls Liking Rap Music” chronicled the plight of women who love rap music only to have their love of the genre “questioned” by concerned males. Initially, when I saw the…
As we continue to grapple with the tragedy that left 22-year-old Kasandra Perkins dead, many are wondering what caused her boyfriend to take her life. While discussions about traumatic brain injuries, infidelity, guns, entitlement, and domestic violence swirl about; one thing that is rarely discussed are conventional notions of masculinity. In his essay for CNN,…
I love a good debate. I love to pick apart other people’s points, state my case, and vigorously argue my point of view, hopefully winning someone over to my side. If it doesn’t happen, so be it, but I love to exchange ideas with others in a respectful way. But debating others—as a black women—is…
An interesting interview between NPR’s Michelle Martin and D.L. Hughley on Tell Me More recently came to my attention, and I must say I’m not sure how to feel about it. During the interview which aired last week, Hughley spoke openly about his new book, I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up: How the…
Over the weekend, I stumbled upon an interesting read from a Kenyan magazine that wondered if women were the new men. In the article, Victor Okwaro painted an over-exaggerated picture of a hard-charging, aggressive, financially savvy, well-educated woman that didn’t need a man for anything outside of the bedroom. It seems the “independent black women” trope…
On Monday, the folks over at VH1 aired part one of the Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta, reunion. And in between the ratchetness and the wrap-up of the season’s drama, one thing stood out to me: K. Michelle’s preoccupation with Karlie Redd’s age. Almost as soon as the two women sat on the stage, K. Michelle…
It looks like some women in Togo are taking the power of the V seriously. Apparently, the female wing of Let’s Save Togo, a civil rights group, asked women in Togo to abstain from sex with their husbands and partners in an effort to compel them to demand that president Faure Gnassingbe step down. President…
It seems like Slim Thug is trying to make a bit of a comeback. The guy best known for his disparaging comments against black women is pedaling a book about life. During a recent interview with Houston’s 97.9 The Box, Slim Thug — who stopped by to hawk his book How to Survive in a…
This is a story that needs to be told. Back in 2006, four New Jersey women got into a violent altercation with a man in New York’s Greenwich Village. According to the women, they were merely defending themselves after being harassed by Dwayne Buckle. The attack left Buckle with a stab wound and the women…
